Inspired by Becherovka

When Chris and I went to Tales of the Cocktail in 2013, we stopped by an event hosted by Becherovka – something neither of us had heard at the time. Reading the name, I assumed it was vodka. My first sip proved very much otherwise! Instead I was greeted with a bitter and herbal liqueur with strong notes of ginger and an almost nutty quality. Chris loved it too and we picked up a bottle when we got home.

Nearly two years later, the bottle has a permanent spot on the back bar, but doesn’t find itself in our drinks nearly often enough! So when I saw that lonely bottle still on the shelf, I asked Chris if we could give it a whirl for this month’s cocktail. The rest, as they say, is history.

The Becherovka Old Fashioned

Chris felt that a nice sweet, mellow Rye whiskey would go well with the liqueur, so I suggested Templeton Rye. Following the Old Fashioned formula, he topped it off with a bit of simple syrup and some Angostura bitters, and the drink was complete. And delicious!

Tasting Notes

This drink still tastes like winter, with the bitterness of the Becherovka mellowed by the smooth sweetness of the Templeton Rye and an almost nutmeg / nutty flavor coming through near the end. It reminded me a bit of a Manhattan – definitely not a bad thing!

So if you have a lonely bottle of Becherovka, go ahead and give this cocktail a try. I think you’ll be very happy with the result!